


Rewriting History

by mendacium_dulce (lux_veritatis)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Manipulation, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 13:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20390623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lux_veritatis/pseuds/mendacium_dulce
Summary: Harry and Tom confront Gellert Grindelwald.





	Rewriting History

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RedHorse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHorse/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [RedHorse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHorse/pseuds/RedHorse) in the [TomarryFlashExchanges](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/TomarryFlashExchanges) collection. 

> **Prompt:**
> 
> Please. PLEASE. 
> 
> But here's the catch: no dark!Harry. No grey!Harry. Harry is good. Tom is bad. These are the rules. I didn't make them.

That night, they were sitting in the living room of their shared apartment. Harry, who was draped over Tom's lap in particular was picture of contentedness and bliss as he snuggled up against him. It was a picture Tom, who had been reading the Daily Prophet, was almost eager to destroy.

“Attack on the Ministry! Grindelwald's army of Inferi stronger than ever!” Tom quoted, delighting in the way Harry tensed in immediate response, in the way his eyes were now wide with something akin to horror.

“This can't be true!” Harry exclaimed. “Dumbledore was supposed to defeat him exactly a year ago!”

“Well, clearly, it didn't happen,” Tom sighed, putting away his newspaper and directing his focus to his lover.

“Tell me, Harry, how much do you know about Katheryn Fogs' theory of parallel dimensions?”

“Nothing. Why?”

“Because it concerns us in the most direct way possible. According to this theory, there is a natural balance between light and dark magic, and any disturbances of said balance are 'corrected' by the universe, by Fate itself. It is my suspicion that the reason Dumbledore hasn't defeated Grindelwald yet can be traced back to this principle. You have put an end to my ambitions as a Dark Lord, hence the Dark Lord of the universe in which you traveled back in time to stop me has become more powerful than he originally was.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke and Tom maintained a grave expression. His eyes were locked on Harry's as he watched him squirm and reluctantly come in terms with a truth he didn't want to acknowledge.

“So you're trying to say it's _our_ fault Grindelwald's become so powerful?”

“There is no way to tell for sure, but according toKatheryn Fogs, it is very likely.”

Turning his head slightly, Tom pressed a kiss to Harry's cheek. Of course, it was up to him to comfort his lover after distressing him on purpose – even if he would have preferred to rub more salt into the open wound, for wasn't it beautiful how haunted those intense green eyes were in the face of the lives lost to Grindelwald's undead army?

“Shh, don't blame yourself,” Tom murmured into his ear, grazing the shell with his lips just enough to make Harry yearn for more. “I, for one, am grateful you prevented me from losing my sanity – my _mind – _to desires I now know are misplaced.”

At the sound of his own words, the sincerity he feigned, Tom could barely suppress a dark chuckle. It had almost been too easy to convince Harry of his 'redemption', to make him believe that thanks to his influence, he had gradually discarded his former goals and ideals, and to hide away anything that contradicted the image of a reformed man Tom had practiced to present.

“I don't regret saving you, Tom,” Harry was quick to interrupt his thoughts. “I... I love you, and you know that.”

Tom smiled. More than anyone else, he knew that Harry practically worshiped him, that he would do anything for a mere sliver of his attention and affection. It was a weakness Tom had used against him more often than not, and when he cupped Harry's cheeks and kissed him, he predicted the wistful sigh long before it escaped Harry's lips.

***

Exactly in accordance with Tom's plans, it had been Harry's idea to take down Grindelwald together – at least officially. In truth, Tom had been tracking the Dark Lord's actions for more than two years now, analyzing his modus operandi and potential weaknesses. It would greatly benefit his standing among his followers to slay the one even Dumbledore himself had failed to defeat, and it would greatly aid his plans of further cementing his pristine reputation among the light wizards.

Making good use of his elaborate preparations, Tom rather quickly tracked down Grindelwald's hideout.

And then, they were face to face.

Harry stood tall and proud despite his small frame, and his wand was brandished like a sword of legends. It was a breathtaking sight, and even Tom had to admit that he himself wasn't entirely unaffected.

“Why are you doing this?” Harry demanded, and his voice was confident and clear. “Why are you killing Muggles in the dozens and turning them into walking shells?”

Grindelwald, however, only smiled, and when he spoke, his tone was didactic yet gentle.

“That, my dear boy, is a good question. You see, I'm left with very little choice if I want to prevent an even greater disaster. Tell me, what would you do if you could predict with absolute certainty the rise of a Dark Lord so terrible all of the drastic measures I have been forced to take will seem like small sacrifices in hindsight? Would you avert your gaze? No, I can see it in your eyes. You're a fighter. A survivor. You would never turn your back to the suffering of innocent wizards – _people_. I predicted the Muggles' gruesome war more than a decade before, yet no one but my trusted followers heeded my warnings, worked towards making the change that would have prevented the many deaths, the destruction.”

At Gellert Grindelwald's words, Tom's blood sang with delight. He had heard rumors about Grindelwald's abilities as a seer, about how he had yet to make a single prediction that was not perfectly accurate. To have his own rise to power predicted by a man like him, it was exhilarating, and he could barely suppress the gleeful laughter threatening to escape him.

It was then that Grindelwald's focus shifted from Harry to Tom for the briefest of moment, and bottomless dark brown met intense blue, fighting a silent battle hidden from the world, yet before Grindelwald could direct any words at him, Harry spoke up again.

“I've already dealt with Dark Lords, and I've never made any sacrifices for it. You're just being lazy. Doing what's easy rather than doing what's right. Great disaster or not, you've got to have proper morals and stick to them!”

From the way his brow knit into a subtle frown, it was obvious that Grindelwald was disappointed by Harry's response. Tom, on the other hand, couldn't have been more pleased by it. Harry's naivety was nauseating, yet if it distracted Grindelwald from the enemy he truly had to fear, catching him off guard with his dark magic would be far easier if he brushed him off as Harry's equally naïve follower.

Grindelwald sighed. “I am realizing that we will not see eye to eye. However, I don't wish to fight you. I don't wish to spill a single drop of innocent blood more than necessary.”

At that, Harry's lips parted in a silent gasp and his fists, which before had been clenched in righteous anger, relaxed. He was visibly taken aback by Grindelwald's refusal to fight him, by his immense charisma, and Tom knew he had to intervene quickly.

“And why, pray tell, have you only been assaulting Muggles in order to build your army?” Tom inquired coolly. “Surely, there must be a difference in your eyes in the value of the life of a Muggle and that of a wizard. Or rather: I'm well aware there is. I'm extensively familiar with your past rhetorics. With your plans to subjugate the entire Muggle race. I severely doubt you've discarded such extreme stances.”

“Exactly!” Harry chimed in, and from his posture, it appeared as though he had fully recovered. “We studied you enough to know how you _actually_ think! You're a hypocrite. A dirty liar. You're probably just waiting for a chance to stab us in the back! Now, are you going to duel us or not?!”

For a moment, none of them spoke, and Tom could feel the air bristle with tension as the wind picked up in speed, but then, right after Harry had begun to shift restlessly, Grindelwald let out a dramatic sigh.

“How juvenile; how impatient! What tragic waste of youth! Very well, it appears as though I'm left with no choice but to take you on. Do not blame me for not holding back.”

“We wouldn't have it any other way!”

As the three of them raised their wands in front of them and bowed, Tom thought back with glee to Grindelwald's failed attempt at manipulating his lover, at accomplishing what he had long succeeded at.

Indeed, Harry James Potter was his to influence and shape; he was Tom's greatest masterpiece.

Harry James Potter was _his, _and the time had come for history to be rewritten.

**Author's Note:**

> Consider this my spousal tribute to you :P I hope you enjoy <3
> 
> (This work hasn't been betaed yet for identity reasons. I apologize for any mistakes.)


End file.
